Devices for counting thread breakages in textile machines



April 3o, 1957 K. J. H. JEPPsoN DEvIcEs EOE couNTING THREAD BREAxAGEs IN TEXTILE MACHINES Filed sept. 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 3o, 1957 K. J. H. JEPPSO'N DEVICES, FOR COUNTING THREAD BREAKAGES IN TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1952 y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent DEVICES FOR COUNTING THREAD BREAKGES IN TEXTILE MACHINES Kurt `losef Harry Jeppson, Malmo, Sweden, assignor to Svenska Ventilations A.B., Malmo, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application September 5, 1952, Serial No. 307,954

Claims priority, application Sweden December 11, 1951 6 Claims. (Cl. 23S-92) This invention relates to la device which by means of a 'counter operable by electric impulses makes it possible automatically to count simultaneously or successively occurring thread breakages in textile machines, in which machines information about the thread breakage fre quency is highly important. Dnawing frames, spinning machines, twisting machines, winding machines, warping machines, looms and knitting machines can be mentioned as examples of such machines. The invention is applicable to such textile machines which for indicating thread breakages tare provided or can be provided with a plurality of thread feelers, each of which is adapted, on breakage of a thread, to close an electric contact, each of said thread feeler contacts being arranged to close one of a number of circuit branches connected in parallel and corresponding to the number of thread feelers. Thread feelers of this type are shown in e. g. U. S. Patent No. 2,569,728.

In such a device for counting thread breakages the thread feeler operated contacts cannot simply be connected with an electric means advancing a counter one count for each current impulse due to closure of one of the thread feeler operated contacts as during the mending of a broken thread the thread feeler operated contact may be closed and opened several times inclose succession resulting in a false indication of the counter.

vOne object of the invention is therefore to provide a device of the character described in which each thread breakage is counted one time only even if the thread feeler operated contact is closed and opened several times during the mending of the broken thread.

Another object of the invention is to provide a deviceof the character described in which a plurality of thread Patented Apr. 30, 1957 ice In the embodiment Ashown in Fig. l, there are seven thread feeler contacts TK which are of prior art construction and each of which is operated by a thread in e. g. a spinning machine (not shown), in such a way that the contacts are closed on breakage of the thread operating the respective contact. Contacts TK are each connected in a branch 1 of a thread feeler circuit, and in each branch 1 the contact TK is connected in series with a thread feeler resistor TM. All resistors TM are of equal size. The thread feeler circuit is arranged to act upon a set of relays to be described in the following and extends from a positive terminal 2 over the branches 1 connected in parallel and provided with the resistors TM and the contacts TK to one terminal of the impulse coil 3 of a balancing relay R1, the other terminal of which is coupled to one terminal of the relay coil 4 of a blocking relay R8, said relay coil having its other terminal connected to a negative terminal, for which reason the coils are connected in series with one another in the thread feeler circuit and with the circuit branches 1 that contain the contacts TK and the resistors TM.

The balancing relay R1 containing the impulse coil 3 has a second relay coil 5 which in the following will be called balancing coil. One terminal of the balancing coil 5 4is coupled toa negative terminal of a balancing circuit,

, while the other terminal of the coil 5 by means of a confeeler operated contacts are continuously connected to I operate the counter upon occurrence of thread breakages in such a way that in spite of the fact that the counterl does not respond to repeated impulses from a thread feeler operated contact during the interval during whichA duit 6 and relay contacts to be described in the following is connectible to one end of one or more balancing resistors 7-12, the other end of which is connected to the positive terminal of the balancing circuit. Between coils 3 and 5 there is a contact spring 13 which in its inoperative condition rests against a fixed abutment 15 and is swingable to abut an impulse contact 14 connected to a positive terminal. The contact spring 13 is arranged, in the de-energized condition of coils 3 and 5 or in the event of at least equally strong current through the coil S as through the coil 3, to occupy the resting position shown in Fig. 1. When the coil 3 is energised and the coil 5 de-energised or the coil 3 is pervaded by a stronger current than the coil 5, the contact spring 13 is swung from the resting position by the coil 3 into electrically. conductive contact with the impulse contact 14. The contact spring 13 is connected to the coil 16 in an impulse relay R2 which is of the type that is operated with delay but releases rapidly.

The blocking relay R8 which both responds and releases rapidly has a contact spring 17 which is connected to a positive terminal and in the tie-energized condition of the relay coil 4, i. e. when no thread feeler Contact TK is closed, abuts a back contact 18 which is connected to one terminal of the coil 19 of a release relay R7, the

' other coil terminal of which is connected to a negative Other objects and advantages of the invention will be` i apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figs. 1 and 2 show circuit diagrams of two embodiments of the invention which have been chosen as eX- amples.

In order to avoid congestion in the drawings positive and negative terminals are indicated in different places in the circuit diagrams and it is to be understood, that lall such positive terminals are connected to the positive ten-1 minal of an electric source not shown and all such negative terminals are connected to the negative terminal of the electric source.

terminal. The relay R7 both responds and releases with considerable delay-suitably of the order l0 to l2 sec. and has two break contacts 20 and 21 to be described more closely in the following. As the coil 19 of the relay R7, as appears from the above, is energized when the device is in its resting position, i. e. when no thread feeler contact TK is closed, the relay contacts 20 and 21 consequently are open in this resting position, as is shown in Fig. 1. When one or more thread feeler contacts TK i are closed, the coil 4 of the blocking relay R8 is energised and swings the Contact spring 17 away from the back contact 18 to abut a front contact 22 which is connected to one terminal of a signal lamp ML, the other terminal of' which is connected to a negative terminal by a Contact spring 23 to be described more closely in the following.

The impulse relay R2 has two make contacts 24 and 25 which are connected to a positive terminal and adapted to close circuit paths to a ticking relay R3, R4. Thus, the contact 24 is connected to one terminal of the coil 26 of the 'relayARS over the break contact 20 of the l relay group R51, R52, R53, R54 and R55.

releaserelay R7, the other terminal of said coil 26 being connected to thebreak Contact 27 in' the relay"R4,- con-f The two relay parts R3 and R4 of the ticking relay arev of the type that both responds and releases'with'delay so that the relays R3 and R4 will alternately be' operated Y and released with overlapping as long as the break contact of the release relay R7 is closed and the coil 16 of the impulse relay-R2is energized so that the makecontact 24 is closed. x

The make Contact of the impulse relay- RZ is con'- nected to one terminal of coil 3l) of a countingrely VR6 whose other coil terminal is connectedto a Contact' spring 31 in the relay R3. Each time the coil 30 'ofthe counting relay R6 is energized, it closes a make contact 32"for closing a circuit through a counter TR which is'operable by means of electric impulses so that thiscounter is' advanced one unit each time therelay'coil 30 is pervaded by current.

In the de-energised condition -o'f Ythe'relay R3, the contact spring 31 abuts a back contact 33 -which is the upper l one'in Fig. l and connected to a make contact-345m the relay R4. On operating the relay R3,`lthe Contact Y spring 31Y is swung to abut a' frontv contact 35 which'I is connected to Va break contact 36 in therelay R74.V The-l make contact 34 and the break contact 36`ofy therelay R4 are each connected to a conduit 37. and-"38, respectively, constituting two alternative current paths toa The conduit 37 is connected to a break contact 39 in the relay R51 and a make'contact 40 in the relay R52, which latterv contact in turn is connected to a break contact 41'in the relay R53 and aV make contact 42 in the relay R54, which latter contact isconnected to a break contact 43 in the relay R55. The conduit 33 is connected to a makecontact 44 in the relay R51 and a make contact 45 in the relay R53. break contact 46 in the relay R52, and the make contact 45 is connected to a break -contact 47 in the relay R54.

The said break contacts 59, 41, 43, 46 and 47 which under the circumstances to be described more closely in the following, thus are connected by means of the tickingV relay R3, R4 and the coil 30 of the countingrelay R6` toth'e positive terminal connected to the make contact 25 of the impulse relay R2, are connected to one-terminal of the coil 48-.52 of the respective pertaining relay RSL-R55, the other terminal of said coil..beingi connectible to a negative terminal by the break contact-l 21 in the release relay R7 in a manner to be described in'H the following, the arrangement being such. that the terminal of the coil 45t-52 in the respective relayR51f-R55,

connected to the break contacts 39, 41, 43, 46 and 47,lv respectively, on opening of the Vbreak contact, is'c'on-f nected to a positive terminal 53-57 for locking the respective relay in the operated position.

Relays R51 and R52 each have two make contacts 58, 59, and 69, 61, respectively, and the relay R53 has a make contact 62 and a contact spring 63 which is connected to the conduit 6 to the coil 5 of the balancing relay' R1 and which,` in the de-energised condition of the relay R53,

abuts a back contact 64 which is connected to the makeY contacts 58 and 6l) in relays R51 and R52, whereas thev make contact 62. of the relay R53 is arranged, on ener-` gization of the relay R53, to connect the conduit-6 with` the make contacts 59 and 61 of the relays R51 and R52. The relay R54' has a make contact 65 whichV is directly connected to the conduit 6. Each of the make contacts'` 58-61 and 65 is arranged, on energization of therespective relays, to close a connection to one of the'bal-A ancing resistors 7-10`and 12, each of which has'the same resistance as one of the mutually equally large` The make contact 44 is connected to ay contact spring 67 in the de-energised condition of the relay'R53. The contact spring 67 is connected to the coils 48fand 49 in the relays R51 and R52 and is arranged, on operating of the relay R53, to abut a front contact'68 which is connectible to the break contact 21 in the release relay R7 over a make contact 69 in the relay R54.

Tlie'relay` R55 which, for reasons stated in the follow' ing, can be termed a maximum capacity relay, is, as distinguished from the relays RSL-R54, not arranged to operate any contacts for connecting balancing resistors but operates instead the previously mentioned Scontact'spring 23 which, in the de-energised condition of the'relay R55, abuts a back contact 70 that is connected to a negative terminal and, on energization of the relay R55, isswung to abuta front contact 71, which is connectedv to a make contact 72 in the relay R3, which is connected to a negative terminal.

When there is no thread breakage, the parts occupy the'positions shown in Fig. 1inwhich positions the entire system is de-energised, except for the release relay R7 which' carries current. If a thread breakage occurs, the corresponding thread feeler contact TK is closed and the relay coils 3`and 4 are energised over the closed contact TK and the thread feeler resistor TM connected in series therewith. As a result of the current supply to the coil 4, the blocking relay R8 is operated and closes a signal current circuit through the lamp ML over parts 17, 22, 23 and 70 at the same time as the relay R7 is released with considerable delay so that the contacts 20 and 21 areA A closed. Due to the current supply to the impulse coil 3 contact 14 Vthrough the contact spring 13 to the middle point of the relay coil 16 the outer ends of which are connected with a negative terminal. Thereby the relay R2 risfoperated with considerable delay so that the make contacts 24 and 25 are closed. The delay in operating relay-R2 and the release of the relay R7 serve to prevent that when the thread feeler contacts TK are closed for such short periodsY as maypossible occur in practice without there1havingbeen any thread breakage, such closures be counted as thread breakages by the device. Thus, the`v` device does not respond to closings of the contacts TKf'or' short periods but requires a closing of the contacts TK' during atleast severalv seconds to be able to operate relayffRZ' and release relay R7 so that the counter TK y counting relay R6 and the contact spring 31 in the relay thread ieeler resistors TM, while.l the contactspring-63Ul5 R3 areconnected to the positive'terminal, and on closing of themakeV contact 24 in the relay R2, the coil 26 in therela'y R3l is energised over the now closed break conta'ctf20 in the relay R7 and the break contact 27 in .the relay R4. Duringthis, the relay R3 is operated with delay, the contact spring 31 connected to the positive terminal coming into contact with the front contact 35, whch'however remains without any eect since the con- .facts 44 and 45 are open. On operating of the relay R3 also Vthe'make contact 29 is closed so that the coil 28 of the relay R4 is supplied'with current and the relay R4 is opertedlwith"delay.Y O'n operating of the relay R4, the break Contact 36 is-opened and the make contact 34 is closed; which hower remains without any etect for the time being' since the contact spring 31 in the operated also' 'the' break Contact 27 is opened's vthat the 'coil 26".

of the relay R3 is de-energised and the relay R3 is `releasedv after a certain delay. When the relay R3 is released, 4the contact spring 31 again comes into contact with the contact 33 and a circuit is closed from the closed make contact 25 of the relay R2 over the coil 30 of the counting relay R6, the contact spring 31, the contact 33, the make contact 34 which is closed on operating of the relay R4, the conduit 37, the closed break contact 39 in the relay R51, the coil 48 of this relay, the contact spring 67, the'contact 66 and the closed break contact 21. Due to the current passing through the coil 30 of the relay R6 the make contact 32 is closed and transmits a current impulse to the counter TR which is thus advanced one step for counting the occurred thread breakage. Due to the current passing through the coil 48 of the relay R51 the relay R51 is operated so that the break contact 39 is disconnected from the conduit 37 and instead comes into contact with the contact 53 which is connected to a positive terminal so that a locking circuit for the relay R51 is established from the contact 53 through the contact 39, the coil 48, the contact spring 67, the contact 66 and the closed contact 21. On breaking of the connection between the contact 39 and the conduit 37, the relay R6 is de-energised and breaks the circuit through the counter TR by means of the make contact 32. On operating of the relay R51 which is kept in the operated position in the manner set forth in the foregoing, the make contacts 44, 58 and 59 are closed. The closing of the contacts 44 and 59 is for the time being without any elect but the closing of the contact 58 brings about supply of current to the balancing coil 5 of the balancing relay R1 over the resistor 7, the contact means 63 and 64 and the conduit 6. As the resistor 7 is as large as the thread feeler resistor TM which has been connected by the counted thread breakage, the coils 3 and 5 of the balancing relay R1 will exert the same inuence upon the contact spring 13 which therefore leaves the impulse contact 14 and abuts the abutment 15. When the contact spring 13 leavesA the impulse contact 14, the coil 16 of the impulse relay R2 is de-energized so that the make contacts 24 and 25 are disconnected land break the connection of the coil 30 of the counting relay R6 and the coil 26 of the relay R3 with their positive terminals. f On theabove-mentioned release -of the relay R3 als the make contact 29 is opened so that the coil 28 of the relay R4 is de-energized and the relay R4 is released after the above connection which takes place in conjunction with the operation of the relay R4. During this, the break contact 27 is closed but this does not lead to any supply of current to the coil -of the relay R3 since the' connection of this coil to thefpositive terminal has already been broken byy the make contact 24 oftherelay R2. Y

On repairing the counted thread breakage, the thread feeler contact TK is opened so that the relay coils 3 and 4 are de-energised. The current break caused by the coil 3 of the relay R1V does not lead to any change in the system while on the other hand the breaking of the current through the coil 4 results in the contact spring 17 of the blocking relay R8 breaking the circuit through the lamp ML by leaving the contact 22v and closing the circuit through the coil 19 of the release relay R7`by abutting the contact 18. In consequence hereof the release relay R7 is operated with considerable delay and the break contact 21 is opened, so that the coil 4 8 in the relay R51 is de-energised and the last-mentioned relayV returns to the release position and hereby breaks the current through the coil 5 of the relay R1 by opening the make contact 5S. Thus, the system has returned to the resting position shown in the drawing and for counting thel next thread breakage.-

Y During the repair of the thread breakage it can happen' thaty the thread feeler contact TK which was closed by the thread breakagevis temporarily opened one or "more is ready times during `short intervals butlthis does not'have any'.

disturbing inuence upon the system. It is true that on such openings of the thread feeler contact TK for short periods the contact spring 17 of the quickly operating relay R8 will momentarily touch the contact 18 when the coil 4 becomes' current-less but the duration of the supply of current to the release relay R7, which is caused hereby, is not so long that, during these opening periods for the contact TK, the relay R7 which operates with great delay manages to respond and open the break contact 21. After each such opening of the thread feeler contact TK for a short period, the system thus returns to the described condition in which the coils 3 and 4 are energized and the relay R51 is operated without any incorrect counting' of a new thread breakage.

When two thread breakages occur simultaneously (the term occur simultaneouslyis herein used to denote thread breakages that persist simultaneously but have not necessarily the same starting time), the counting of the rst thread breakage takes place in the same manner as the one previously described, up to the operation of relays R4 and R51. The connecting of the resistor 7 resulting from the operation of the relay R51 is however not suflicient to achieve a balance in the relay R1, i. e. return of the contact spring 13 from the contact 14 to the abutment 15 since the two resistors TM which have been connected by the two thread breakages pass a current to the coil 3, which is twice as strong as the one passed `on to the coil 5 by the resistor 7. Consequently, the impulse relay R2 is still kept operated so that the Contact spring 31 and the coil 26 of the relay R3 are under tension over contacts 24 and 25. If the operated relay R4 is then released, the coil 26 of the relay R3 will therefore be energised over the break contact 27 of the relay R4 so that the relay R3 is operated with delay. Hereby the contact spring 31 which is 'under tension comes into contact with the front contact 35 so that a circuit is closed from the closed contact 25 through the coil 3G of the counting relay R6, the contact spring 31, the contact 35, the break contact 36, which is now closed, the conduit 38, the make contact 44 which is closed by operating of the relay R51 and the break contact 46 to the coil 49 of the relay R52 and from this over the contact spring 67 and the contact 66 to the closed break contact 21. R6 is operated and causes advancing of the counter TR by a further unit in the manner described in the foregoing. Besides, the relay R52 is operated With locking, the resistance 9 being connected in parallel with the resistor 7 by the contact 60 in the circuit of the coil 5 so that balance is obtained in the relay R1 and the counting is interrupted by the contact spring 13 taking up its resting position in contact with the abutment 15 and the` relay R2 is rapidly released. The restoring of the system takes place in the manner ldescribed in the foregoing, and of course the two thread breakages haveto be repaired if the coil 4 of the relay R3 is to become currentless so that the relay R7 can restore relays R51 and R52 by opening of the contact 21. On the releasing of relay R3 also the relay R4 is operated by means of the make contact 29 but this operating of relay R4 which takes place with relay is without any etfect since the relay R2 has already had time to open contacts 24 and 25.

If three thread breakages occur simultaneously, the first two are counted in the manner already described. After counting these breakages, the relay R1 is however still not balanced for which reason the relay R2 is still operated and keeps the contact spring 31 and the coil 26 of the relay R3 under tension. When the relay R3 after counting the first two thread breakages releases after the above-mentioned operation of the relay R4, a circuit will therefore be closed from the closed contact 25 over the coil 30 of the counting relay R6, the contact spring 31, the contacts 33 and 34, the conduit 37, the contact 40 which is closed by the relay R52 on As a result the counting relayV countingofthe second thread breakage, thecontact 41 and the coil 50 in the relay R53 to the contact 21. This At the same time the locking circuitsfor the relays R51V and R52 are opened, which relays return to the released position, and the resistors 7 and 9 are disconnected from the'coil 5, whereas the resistor 11 is instead connected to said coil. As the resistor 11' is one third of the size of one of the resistors TM, balance Will be obtained in the relay R1 so that the'counting operation is interrupted inl the same manner as the one described in connection with a single thread breakage. Release after the repairing of' thethree thread breakages takes place in the manner already described by opening the contact 21 by means of the release relay R7.

Of'Y four simultaneously occurring thread breakages, the irst'three are counted in the manner described above. After counting'of these breakages, the relay R1 is however still notV balanced for which reason the relay R2 is still operated and keeps the contact spring 31 and the coil 26 of the relay R3 under tension. On releasing the relay R4 after the counting of the third thread breakage', the' relay R3 will already be operated again and consequently the fourth thread breakage is counted in the same manner as the second thread breakage, and just as'during'the counting of the second thread breakage a current impulse will be sent from the contact spring 31 in the relay R3 over the contact 35, and the break contact 36 to the conduit 38. This current impulse goes past the contact 44 which hasv been opened on counting of the third thread breakage to the contact 45 that has been closed at the same time by the relay R53 and over the contact 47 through the coil 51 of the relay R54 to the contact 21. Thus, the relay R54 is operated with locking/and connects by means of the make contact 65 the resistor 12 in parallel with the resistor 11 in the balancing circuit through the coil in the relay R1. This produces balance in the relay R1 so that the relay R2`is released and interrupts the counting operation by de-energising the contact spring 31 and the coil 26 in the relay R3. The system is restored to its normal position in the manner already described.

It appears from the description of the mode of operation ofV the system, for counting as many as four simultaneously occurring thread breakages, that the two parts i' R3 and R4 of the ticking relay are alternately operated and released as long as the balancing relay R1 has not releasedV the impulse relay R2, and during this operation the counter TR is advanced one unit for each current impulse to the relay group R51-R55, these current impulses passing every other time over the conduit 37 and every other time over the conduit 3S. The first, third etc. current impulse passes over the conduit 37, and'the second, fourth etc. current impulse over the conduit 38.

On five simultaneously existing thread breakages, the current impulse which is transmitted from the ticking relay R3, R4 after the counting of the fourth thread breakage thus passes over the conduit 37 to the relay R51 which is operated after the counting of the third thread breakage, said relay R51 being operated with locking. The current impulse in the conduit 37 cannot proceed to the closed contact 42`in theprelay R54 since the contact 40ct the relay R52 is opened. On operating of the relay R51, the make contacts 5S and 59 are closed. The closingof the contact 58 remains without any effect since' the contact spring 63 after counting ofthe third thread breakage h'asleft the contact 64, Whereas the closing of the' contact 59` has the effect that the resistor 8 inthe balancing circuit is'connected in. parallel with thev resistors'11and-12that are'conn'ec'ted after; counting. of'- the" fourththread breakage; so that balance is obtained' fth threadfbreakage to the relay R52 which is operated with locking.v At the same time the make contacts 60v and 61 are closed.y The closing of the contact 60 has no' eect because the' contact spring 63` on the counting of the third thread breakage has left the contact 64 whereas the closing of the contact 61 causesl the resistor 10 to be connected in the balancing circuit in parallel with the resistors 8, 11 and 12 which are connected after the count ing of the lifth'thread breakage so that balance is obtained in the relay R1 and the counting is-discontinued.

With the simultaneousl occurrence of seven thread breakages the system thatis chosen as anexample has reached its maximum capacity, and this is indicated in a special manner to the personnel, so that they notice that the Voperatingconditions'in the supervised textile machine have become so unsatisfactory that steps have to be taken immediately toameliorate the operating conditions. The seventhV current impulse from the ticking relay R3, R4 to the relay group R51- R55 goes over the conduit 37 and the'contacts 40 and 42 which have been closed earlier during'Y the counting to the maximum capacity relay R55 which is operated with locking. On operating relay R55 there is no further resistance connected in the balancing circuit'forwhich-reason'the relay R1 remains unbalanced and the two parts R3 and R4of the ticking relay continue to beoperatedzan'd released alternately as long as not at least one of thel thread breakages has been repaired; On' operating of relay R55 thel contact spring 23 leaves the contact and abuts instead the contact 71 which is connected'to'the'makecontact 72 of the relay R3, which contact is connected to a positive terminal. During the function of the ticking relay R3, R4.prior to the repair of at least one' of the seven thread breakages, the signal circuit will thus b'e alternately closed and opened by the relay R3 by meansV of the contact 72 so that the lamp ML flashes repeatedly and indicates that the maximum capacity of the counting device has been reached. The current impulse Operating the relay R55 advances, in the manner'previously described, the counter TR a seventh unit but'after this seventh current impulse there are no further current'impulses to advance the counter although the tickingrelay R3, R4 continues to operate because all of the relays RSL-R55 are operated so that the conduits 37 and 38 have no connection with a negative terminal.

Although it is thus possible to have an optionally large number of. thread feeler contacts TK connected to the relay set' shown in Fig. l this set cannot count more than seven simultaneously occurring thread breakages at the most but it is' evident that one can easily enlarge the relayV group R51-R55' so as to obtain a greater capacity of thercounting device. Furthermore, it is evident that instead of connecting the balancing resistors 7-12, one can conceive' an equivalent device in which the balancing resistors are disconnected for obtaining a balance in the relay R1.

Fig. 2 shows a considerably simpler embodiment of the invention which is preferred at present. Six thread feeler contacts TK are each connected in a branch 1 of a thread feeler circuit in series with a large thread feeler resistor TM. Besides, there is connected in each branch l in series with the contact TK and the resistor TM a means 73 which is current-conductive in one direction only, e. g. a dry rectifier, and in parallel with the resistor TM there is connected a large condenser 74. One terminal of the thread feeler contacts TK is connected to a positive terminal 2 which'is common to these contacts, whereas the other terminal is connected to one terminal of the-dry/rectitier 73; Onerside of the aggregate which is fcrmed'by the resistor TM and the condenser 74 is con-- eficaces nected to ythe other terminal `of the dry rectier 73, while the other side of the aggregate is connected to aconduit- 75 that is common to all aggregates and leads to `one terminal of the impulse coil 76 of a distributing relay R9, the other terminal of said impulse coil being connected to a negative terminal. The relay R9 has an auxiliary excitation coil 77, Vone terminal of which is connected to a negative terminal, while its other terminal is connected to a break contact 78 in the relay which is connected to a positive terminal. The relay R9 hasV two operating positions. ln one of these positions two make contacts 79 and 80 are both closed and in the other of these positions only the make contact 79 yis closed. The make contact 79 which is connected to a negative terminal is connected to one terminal of a signal lamp ML, the other terminal of which is connected to a positive terminal. The make contact 80 connected to a positive terminal is connected to one terminal of the coil 81 of a counting relay R10, the other terminal of said coil being connected to a negative terminal. The counting relay R is arranged directly to advance a counter one unit ateach operation and is besides provided with a make contact 82 connected to a negative terminal and to one terminal of an errorlamp FL, the other terminal of which is connected to a positive terminal.

The devi-ce shown in Fig. 2 operates in the following manner. When a thread breakage occurs, a thread feeler contact TK is closed. This operation rstproduces a strong current impulse for charging the condenser 74 connected in series with-the `threadteeler contact. With the aid of the current-pervadedcoil 77, this strong impulse operates the relay R9 so forcefully that not only the contact 79"-but Valso the contact 80 is closed, the signal lamp ML being lit and theV counter advanced one unit through the operation of the relaywR10. `After the condenser '74 has been charged, the current from the positive terminal 2 tothe relay coil 76 is limited to the small value that is determined by the large resistor TM which is connected in-parallel With the condenser. This Weak current does not sulce to retain thetrelay R9 in the original operating position but the relay proceeds to its other operating position, in which the make contact 80 is open and the contact 79 closed and keeps the signal lamp ML lit. The break contact 78 which is opened at the initial operation of the relay R9 is also closed so that the coil 77 is again supplied with current and can partake in operating the relay during subsequent thread breakages. The condenser 74 and the resistor TM are chosen so large, e. g. 100 pf. and 80,000 ohms, respectively, that the condenser, on opening of the thread feeler contact TK, needs for instance 10-12 sec. to be able to discharge through the resistor TM in a sufficient degree to make it possible that a renewed closing of the pertaining thread feeler contact can be followed by such a large impulse produced by the charging of the condenser, that the contact S0 of the relay R9 is closed and causes counting of a new thread breakage. The openings and closings of the thread feeler contact for short periods which occur during the repair of a thread breakage will therefore not cause any incorrect counting of thread breakages.

In case there are already one or more thread breakages which have not been repaired, one or more thread eeler contacts TK :are consequently closed, and the current passing through the resistors TM which are connected in series with these closed contacts, keep the relay R9 in the operating position in which the contacts 78 and 79 are closed but the contact 80 is opened. If a new thread breakage occurs during this period, a further thread feeler contact TK is closed, and the condenser 74 which is connected in series with this contact produces. a charging impulse which, owing to its being prevented from passing through the already previously closed thread feeler circuit branches by the means 73 allowing the current to pass in one direction only, increases the current through the coil 76 of the relay R9 in such a degree that thel relay also operatesfits contact 80, and thecountef is advanced one unit by the relay R10.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 2 there are shown six thread feeler contacts TK, and in su-ch a case the relay tion and the err0rlamp FL is kept lit `by closing themake contact 82 of the relay R10 in order to indicate that the maximum capacity of the device has been reached and that so serious errors have occurred that steps must be taken to improve the operating conditions of the supervised machine. Although six thread feeler contacts are shown in Fig. 2, it is ofcourse possible to employ a different number on -choosing suitable values for condensers, thread feeler resistors TM and the properties of the relay R9. In practice as many as twelve thread feeler contacts have lbeen employed.

What I claim and desire ot secure -by Letters Patent is:

l. A device for counting thread breakages in textile machines comprising a plurality of thread feelers, a corresponding number of electric circuit branches being connected in parallel, an electric contact in each of said circuit branches, said contacts being individually operf able by said thread feelers to close said circuit branches 30" on breakage of threads supervised by said eelers, a counter' operable by electric impulses, control means connected to said counter, and transmitting means con tinuously connected with all ofrsaid contacts and with said control means and adapted on closing of any one of 'said contacts to transmit zanimpulse to said control means and to render one of said circuit branches inoperative during an interval which comprises the period during which said closed contact remains closed, and 'besides several seconds after opening of said closed contact so that repeated openings and closures of said closed contact during said interval are ineffective to bring said transmitting means to transmit further impulses to said -control means, said control means being adapted to respond to said impulse from said transmitting mean-s by sending an impulse to said counter for advancing said counter one unit and remaining active also during said interval to send further advancing impulses to said counter las a response to further impulses from said transmitting means due to closing of still further ones of said contacts.

2. A device for counting thread breakages in textile machines comprising a plurality of thread feelers, a corlresponding number of electric circuit branches being connected in parallel, Ian electric contact in each of said circuit branches, said contacts being individually operable by said thread feelers to close said circuit branches on breakage of threads supervised by said teelers, a thread -feeler resistor connected in series with said contact in each of said circuit branches, rsaild resistors in said circuit branches lbeing equally large, a counter opera-ble by electric impulses, control means connected with said counter, balancing means, a make contact in said balancing means, loading means in said balancing means continuously connected in series with said parallel connected circuit branches and urging, when at least one of said thread feeler operated contacts is closed, said balancing means in a direction to close said make contac-t, compensating means in said balancing means urging, when energized, said balancing means in a direction to break said make contact to compensate the eiect of said loading means on said balancing means, .a balancing circuit including said compensating means, pulsing means adapted, when energized, to produce a series of electric pulses, balancing resistors for said balancing circuit, means responding to pulses from said pulsing means for altering-;the current path of said lbalancing circuit through said balancing resistors stepwise to alter the current flow through said compensating means thereby altering the compensa-ting elect of said compensating means opposing the elect of Isaid loading means on said make contact in said -balancing mea-ns, said pulsing means being connected with said control means which is adapted to send an impulse to said counter 'for each pulse received from said pulsing means, energizing means, controlled -by said balancing means to energize said pulsing means as long as the effect of said loading means on sa-id make Contact in said balancing means preponderates over the effect of said compensating means on `said make contact in said balancing means, and restoring means adapted to break said balancing circuit upon opening of all said contacts, said -restoring means operating with delay.

3. A device for counting thread breakages in textile machines comprising a plurality of thread yfeelers, a corresponding number of electr-ic circuit branches, being connected in parallel, lan electric contact in each of said circuit branches, said contacts being individually operable by said thread feelers to close said circuit branches on breakage of threads supervised by -said tfeelers, a resistor and 'a condenser connected in parallel in each of said circuit ibranches, and having in combination a time constant of several seconds, =a counter, and control means continuously connected with said counter and all of said parallelconnected circuit branches land adapted to respond only to the charging current pulse, generated 'by any one of said condensers upon closing of said contact in -the corresponding one of said circuit branches, by advancing said counter one unit.

4. A device according to claim 3 comprising means in each of -said circuit branches, which is current conduct-ive in one direction only.

5. A device for counting thread breakages in textile machines comprising a plurality of thread vfeelers, a corresponding number of electric circuit branches being connected in parallel, an electric thread feeler contact in each of said circuit branches, said contacts being individually operable by said thread feelers, la resistor and a condenser connected in parallel in each of said circuit branches, and

having in combination a time constant of several seconds, a counter operable by electric impulses, a relay, a make contact inY said relay connected kto said counter to send an electric impulse to 'said counter for advancing said counter one unit upon operation of said relay, and a coil in said relay continuously connected in series with all of said par- -allel connected circuit branches yand being able to operate said relay to close said make contact in response to the charging current pulse generated by any one of said condensers upon closing of said thread feeler contact in the corresponding one of said circuit branches but being unable to hold said make contact closed in response to the steady current through said resistor in any one of said circuit branches when the thread feeler contact in the corresponding one of said circuit branches is closed and the charging. current pulse through the corresponding Ione of said condensers has ceased.

6. A device according to claim 5 comprising a second make contact in said relay, said Irelay coil being able to keep said second make contact closed not only under the intluence of the charging current pulse generated by any one of said condensers due to closure of the associated one of said thread feeler contacts but also under the inuence of steady current through a plurality of said resistors when the thread feeler contacts associated with said plurality of said resistors are closed and the charging current pulses through said condensers associated with said plural-ity of'said resistors have ceased, and a signalling device, operated by said second make contact.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,068,719 Troutman Ian. 26, 1937 2,188,754 Keeler Jan. 30, 1940 2,242,889 Keeler May 20, 1941 2,367,958 Michaelson Ian. 23, 1945 2,491,335 Rich Dec. 13, 1949 2,534,544 Bush Dec. 19, 1950 2,635,197 Routledge et al Apr. 14, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 567,633 Great Britain Feb. 23, 1945 

